Yemen PM: Crisis over UAE deployment to Socotra over

Socotra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been spared involvement in the conflict [File: Reuters]

A dispute between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates over the deployment of Emirati troops to the island of Socotra has been resolved, according to a Yemeni official.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, Yemen's prime minister, said "the crisis on the island is over" and that the Yemeni flag was "flying above our sea and airports again".

He said the dispute had "almost divided" a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in northern Yemen to restore the country's internationally recognised government to power.

The resolution of the weeks-long dispute came a day after Saudi Arabia deployed troops to the strategic island and signed a deal with the UAE to return the island's sea and airports to Yemeni forces, according to state-run Saba news agency.

The crisis over Socotra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, began when the UAE deployed about 300 soldiers, along with tanks and artillery, to the island at the beginning of May.